


Mother of Pearl

by hutchabelle



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Dating, F/M, Jewelry, Marriage, Parent-Child Relationship, Parenthood, Post-Canon, Post-Games (Hunger Games), Post-Hunger Games, Soulmates, Weddings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2019-05-05 16:31:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14622639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hutchabelle/pseuds/hutchabelle
Summary: The pearl means everything.





	1. Mother of Pearl

**Author's Note:**

> This drabble was written for d12drabbles, prompt 3--Serendipity.

“Mom, can you come here a minute, please?”

 

Katniss tore her gaze from the window and smiled softly before crossing the room to stand behind her daughter. Pearl, her firstborn, stood in front of the mirror dressed in a lovely cornflower blue dress that just brushed the tops of her gold sandals.

 

“What is it, sweetheart?” Katniss asked. 

 

Her voice was soft and full of emotion. It was hard to accept that her precious daughter was old enough for her own toasting. It seemed like only a few years had passed since she’d given Peeta what he wanted so badly, and they’d celebrated becoming a family instead of a couple by welcoming the warm, squirming bundle into their world. It was simply unbelievable that the child who’d acted as the healing balm to her wounds was ready to embark on her own path to marriage and potential parenthood.

 

“I— I just— I just wanted my mom,” Pearl stammered, suddenly shy and unsure.

 

Katniss gathered her daughter in her arms and stroked her dark hair. When she pulled back, Pearl’s sapphire blue eyes sparkled. They were so much like her father’s that Katniss couldn’t help but feel all-encompassing love.

 

“You’ll always have your mom, Pearl. And your father. We’ll constantly be here for you. No matter what.”

 

Pearl gulped against the lump in her throat and whispered, “Is this how you felt the day you and dad had your toasting? Scared out of your mind but so insanely sure that you didn’t want to live without him that you thought you’d burst if you didn’t pair yourself to him immediately?”

 

A grin spread across her face at her daughter’s soulful question. Pearl had encapsulated exactly the way her love for Peeta had felt once she’d finally accepted that she could feel again after losing Prim. On the day she’d ultimately understood that he was hers and she was his, she’d felt a panic so great that she’d sprinted home from the woods and thrown herself into his arms. They’d kissed desperately in the kitchen until he’d taken her on the table and they were both covered in flour and chocolate icing. Their toasting took place three days later, the soonest Panem’s justice system would legally allow.

 

“That’s exactly right, sweetheart,” she assured her. “Don’t question what you’re feeling. You’ve always known yourself so well—much better than I ever did when I was your age. There’s no reason to second guess how you’re feeling. There’s nothing to worry about anymore.”

 

“Do I look alright?” Pearl asked as she tucked a stray curl behind her ear.

 

“You look beautiful.” Katniss repressed a pang of longing for her mother who’d said the same thing to her on the day of her first reaping. In an attempt stop herself from crying, she moved to stand behind Pearl and wrapped her arms around her daughter’s shoulders.

 

“Thanks, Mom.”

 

“You’re welcome,” Katniss answered with a kiss on the cheek. “I wish I knew where I’d put the necklace your father had made for me when we found out I was pregnant with you. That pearl meant everything to me. That’s why you share its name.”

 

“What happened to it? You haven’t worn it in years.”

 

“I don’t know for sure. It just disappeared one day when you were about twelve, and neither I nor your father could figure out where it went.” She frowned at the memory and finally shrugged. “We tore the house apart, but we couldn’t find it. Finally, we decided to let it go and let the memories be enough. I’d always rather have your father than a necklace anyway.”

 

Pearl’s eyes shone with unshed tears, and she hastened to wipe them away. “You and dad have been such an inspiration. I’m so lucky to have you both.” She flung herself into Katniss’ arms for the briefest moment before sucking in a sharp breath and straightening her dress.

 

“Go, darling girl. Go marry your soulmate.”

 

Pearl squealed and shook with excitement before she hurried down the stairs, kissed Peeta on the cheek, and rushed out of the house and toward her future. Peeta appeared in the doorway shortly after, concern for his wife coloring his face.

 

“How are you feeling? Do I need to make you some comfort food? Cheese buns, perhaps?” His eyes twinkled as he teased her, but she knew his light words belied the sincerity of his concern. He’d always understood her so well.

 

“I’m fine. I thought I might sort through Prim’s box. It’s been years.”

 

“Want some company?”

 

He knew how hard it was for her to face her sister’s death even after such a long time. All that was left of the younger Everdeen sister resided in a mahogany box that sat on the mantle. Inside were a couple of pictures and recorded memories from residents of District 12 who’d known her before the rebellion.

 

“Either that or you can bake. Those cheese buns suddenly sound good.”

 

He held out his hand to her and then kissed her gently. “I’ll be in the kitchen. Call me if you need me.”

 

Katniss followed him downstairs and settled onto the couch with the box of memories in front of her. With a sigh, she opened the lid and reached inside to lift the pictures. She smiled at the sight of the young girl, blonde and beautiful, with a cheerful smile despite their dire circumstances. Prim was too good for Panem. That’s what Katniss continually told herself when she felt her composure slip.

 

She wiped a tear from her cheek and set the images down. Prodding the letters with her index finger, she raised the corner of one and gasped. A silver chain lay curled at the bottom of the box. She looped it over her finger and pulled it free. She shrieked when she saw the iridescent black pearl that reflected the same platinum hue of her eyes.

 

“Peeta!” she called. “Peeta, come here!”

 

He bolted in from the kitchen and stopped dead in his track at the sight of her with her arm extended and the necklace dangling from her hand.

 

“The pearl! Is that—? That’s the one I gave you in the arena?”

 

She nodded, too emotional to speak. Just when she needed it the most, fate had decided to smile on them. Their daughter had walked out the door to another home, but their other pearl had found its way back to them.

 

Peeta grinned and crossed the room to her. “Can I put it on for you? We could both use a bit of luck today; don’t you think?”

 

“Not luck, Peeta. This is much more than that,” she breathed.

 

“What’s more than luck?” he asked with a lopsided grin stretching his face from ear to ear.

 

“Serendipity.”


	2. First Date Jitters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fire, a couch, kisses, and a first date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This drabble was written for d12drabbles, prompt 22--First Date.

“Nervous?”

 

“Petrified,” Peeta confessed as he bounced his leg and shifted on the couch. Katniss felt the warmth of his thigh against hers and smiled at his restlessness.

 

“You don’t need to be worried,” she murmured, her voice breathless and husky.

 

She trailed her fingers over the paisley pattern on the plush couch. The pale blue of the family room walls should have been comforting, but she found it did nothing more than remind her of the beautiful cornflower blue of Peeta’s eyes.

 

“And why’s that?”

 

His voice wobbled on the last word, and she slid her thumb underneath Peeta’s leg from his hip to his knee. He rocked away from her to his left but then leaned into her shoulder. His right hand fisted in his lap until his knuckles turned white. When she stopped her fingers at the edge of the couch, he sighed lustily and cast a furtive look at her though his long eyelashes. She wanted to trace the shadow they sketched on his bronzed cheeks.

 

“I don’t think you need to worry because I’m right here with you.” At his strangled moan, she grinned and covered his knee with her palm.

 

“I’ve always wanted that, you know,” he confessed. “By my side is where I’ve always hoped you’d be.”

 

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m so agreeable,” she teased and leaned over to tug his earlobe with her teeth.

 

“Katniss,” he hissed. His hand twitched, and he placed it on her upper thigh before slipping his fingers in between her legs.

 

Her breath hitched at the contact. His long fingers wiggled and made the briefest contact with her sensitive bud, and she released a soft groan that made him chuckle.

 

“Peeta…” Her voice trailed off into the electrified air of the room. A fire crackled in the hearth, and the faintest hint of cinnamon hung in the air between them.

 

“What?” he breathed against her neck. His tongue darted out to trace the cords of her neck, and she tilted her head away from him so he could caress all of her.

 

“You know you’re really good at this?”

 

“Hmm,” he mumbled into the dark hair at the nape of her neck. “Tell me more.”

 

Katniss twisted her face to his, and their mouths met. His kiss was gentle and sweet with a hint of shyness that made her heart twist at his hesitancy. When she pressed forward, he traced her lips with the tip of his tongue until she opened for him and allowed him to explore.

 

“It’s hard to talk to when you’re doing this kind of stuff to me,” she reasoned. “Anything else getting a little, uh, stiffer?”

 

“Don’t,” he huffed. “I’m trying to be a gentleman here.”

 

“If you were a gentleman, we probably would have had dinner before we started necking on the couch.” She tugged his lower lip between hers and worried it between her teeth until he grunted.

 

“If you were a lady, you wouldn’t be trying to seduce me, now would you, Katniss?”

 

“Stop using logic,” she ordered with a smile and placed her hand on his crotch.

 

“Fuck,” he moaned and sucked in air when she squeezed. “That’s one way to get me to stop thinking.”

 

He cupped her jaw in his hands and bumped his forehead against hers. His nose knocked against hers, and he nibbled at her like she was the most delectable thing he’d ever tasted.

 

“Brain power’s overrated. I hardly use it at all anymore.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

She raked in a shaky breath and pulled away from him. His chest heaved as he tried to regain control. His eyes were darkened almost to black as he stared her.

 

“How do you still do this to me?” she grumbled. “It’s not fair. After all these years, you still make me want everything from you.”

 

“Hey,” he joked as he flicked the end of her braid and tugged it affectionately. “That’s a good thing, you know. Together. That’s how it’s always been with us. I hope that never changes.”

 

A sharp knock at the door startled them, and Pearl, their daughter, called from upstairs, “Mom! Dad! Will you get that? I’m not ready yet.”

 

Peeta stood and adjusted himself, and Katniss grinned at the knowledge that her husband still wanted her as much as he did when they were younger. She admired his frame as he crossed to the front door and opened it to find Delly and Thom’s youngest son standing on the porch.

 

“Hi, Mr. Mellark. Mrs. Mellark,” the younger man squeaked. “I’m here to pick up Pearl for our date.”

 

Peeta stiffened, and Katniss hurried to take his hand and steady him. She understood exactly what he felt. After all they’d been through—the Games, the Revolution, the loss of family members—nothing was quite as terrifying as knowing their daughter wasn’t their young, sheltered, dancing girl anymore.


End file.
